Wednesday, December 23, 2015

We are so blessed. And often the richness of our lives is so pervasive that we forget. It gets tuned out like the white noise we no longer see or feel or taste. Just as we become numb to our own blessings, we also tune out the need that lives and breathes around us every day. So our employees came together today for our end of the year lunch together. We had pizza and chatted, and then talked about the holidays. During this lunch, I told them I wanted them to think outside themselves. Reflect on the ample good fortune they enjoy, but also the need present in others. At that point, each employee was given a sealed envelope with a personal letter I wrote for them and our relationship together. Then each got a second envelope with a single $100 bill in it. I asked them to think about who they've seen in their lives, for whom $100 would make a huge difference. It doesn't have to be a homeless person, but it could be. It doesn't have to be a struggling vet, but it could be. They were recognize need. Think about where you've seen it, and give. I honestly don't care to know who, it doesn't matter. They don't need to tell me about it later, it's not about that. Just pay this forward. The very act of just thinking about giving is transformative. It opens us up to recognize our own gifts, to realize the need that swims around us every day, and most importantly to see possibility that we could actually make a difference. Already, one person said they have seen people at a nearby run down grocery store who could really use the grocery money. Another said there's an online location for making small loans those less fortunate. All of them thinking about need, and how they can step into that space to help.Project kindness into this world. That alone changes us. And in this way "paying it forward" already comes back to enrich us before the money is ever even given away. Happy Holidays everyone.